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Computer-based Engineering in the Automotive Industry

The automotive industry has been using computer-based engineering since the 1980s.

Initially simulations were limited to structural verification of single components, with the first simulations for production processes such as foundry, deep-drawing and plastic molding. Since then, technological advancements have made the computer processing power available at lower costs. This has led to the virtual simulation, of both components and complex systems, with a high degree of confidence, making it an integral part of the product design and development process for both the OEM and tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers to the automotive industry.

For the last several years the industry has been investing in simulation based engineering projects and OEMs and their suppliers are now putting more emphasis on multiobjective optimization.

Today, numerical simulation models are indispensable tools for: reducing the time to market and product development costs, especially in the design phase of a product when crucial choices are made and where the subsequent reversal of those choices can prove to be extremely costly; facing new technological challenges related to:

the use of new materials such as light alloys, high strength steel, composites and nanomaterial coatings

new manufacturing processes and joining technologies

new methane, biogas, fuel cell, hydrogen or electric fuel systems that are either running solely on that fuel or as a hybrid system

new vehicle architecture for city driving or hybrid vehicles

optimization, driven by the need for improved components, systems and the entire vehicle – this has inevitably led to the use of numerical simulation in the design phases as opposed to using it just in the verification phase

EnginSoft has been a player in virtual simulation since its inception. With years of consultancy projects behind it in the automotive industry, EnginSoft boasts a broad range of multi-disciplinary expertise which spans from mechanical and resistance analyses, deformability and durability, crash analysis and ride comfort to the thermal, fluid dynamic, acoustic, electromagnetic and optical fields. Using the best commercial tools for the job, and writing custom routines when necessary to complete the job, we cover simulation and the optimization of the entire production processes.

Engineering Simulation in the Oil & Gas Industry

The upstream sector also known as the Exploration and Production (E&P) sector, normally covers the exploration and discovery of sources of crude oil and gas both onshore and offshore. It also covers the drilling of exploratory wells and the operation of these wells to extract the discovered energy source and bring it to the surface for transportation to refineries.

The main physical aspects that can be simulated when building an upstream virtual model include:

The downstream sector refers to the extracted hydrocarbons in their liquid form (petroleum) or in their gaseous form (natural gas) being refined and the subsequent distribution of derivative products such as fuels, petrochemicals, lubricants and residuals for use in by-products.

The main physical aspects that can be simulated when building a downstream virtual model include:

Evaluation of inlet feed devices to reduce the liquid entrainment and velocity to improve vapor distribution

Understanding of risers, regenerators, and cyclones for the FCC process

Investigation of flow patterns and FSI in horizontal and vertical piping

Flow rate meters/flow meters

Gravitational separators

Petrochemical storage and process vessels

Refinery process units

Petrochemical facilities

Gasification plants, hydrogen generating plants

Equipment simulation optimization

EnginSoft's primary areas of expertise in the Oil & Gas and Offshore Industry is in the upstream and downstream sectors. Our expertise ranges from geotechnical-geomechanical engineering (including reservoirs simulation and exploitation) to fluid mechanics engineering; from structural engineering to analysis and simulation, design and assessment. To initiate a discussion, please contact us with your specific requirements.

The Construction Industry

Among the many challenges faced by the industry, the following stand out:

compliance with global climate change regulations;

the safety and health monitoring of aging infrastructures, which need to be brought up to modern safety standards;

cost overruns due to insufficient analysis at the design stage of the project.

These issues are forcing the industry to invest time and resources in the following areas:

green buildings, also known as sustainable or high performance buildings; a new field that is gaining quick momentum in the discovery and implementation of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient;

new manufacturing processes and materials, which are the main drivers for applied research in the field. Materials typical of other industrial disciplines, such as composite materials, are increasingly being used in the construction industry;

more detailed designs to ensure compliance with a broad range of increasingly demanding technical standards;

improved assessment and verification of the consequences of rare events associated with significant risk levels for the community in the form of improved fire, seismic and impact analysis of structures in the design phase of a project. The design phase is therefore becoming increasingly important in order to reduce hazards or unexpected circumstances which may have major consequences on the allocated budget.

Today, numerical simulation plays a crucial role in the construction industry. It provides indispensable design tools for the prototyping of new products and structures, resulting in their production at a fraction of the cost that would be incurred if extensive physical testing was used instead. Structural analysis, in which numerical simulation techniques have become the industry standard, provides a palpable example of this.

The complexity of the simulation software available, allows the engineer to deal with most application areas in the construction Industry, even those requiring multi-disciplinary fields such as soil-structure interaction and fluid-structure interaction. Optimization frameworks can be also exploited to drive numerical simulations and to obtain minimum cost solutions, which is of particular importance when facing budget constraints.

EnginSoft offers consultancy in a wide range of civil engineering applications with expertise ranging from the structural analysis of bridges and stadiums to the design of tunnels, to the assessment of offshore installations and the development of expert systems for precast components. EnginSoft is your ideal partner for specific project related consultancies and for the development of integrated tailor made design solutions.

EnginSoft and the Energy Industry

The energy scenarios and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions underlie the development and extensive use of technology that makes the proposed goals possible. This development requires both heavy investment in research and development (public and private), and incentive policies to achieve economic self-sustainability. Precisely this requirement means that the countries should ask themselves and give clear indications of, what must be done and which technology should be deemed as a priority.

In this context the European Commission has developed a Strategic Energy Technology Plan that brings technological innovation to the center of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure the security of energy supply.

The development and subsequent industrialization of all these new technologies, from the technical and scientific point of view, requires and will require in the coming years a huge commitment of intelligence, first-class technical skills, and tools for designing components and systems in the best ways.

In this context, CAE Technology and Intelligent Digital Prototyping (iDP) hold, and will increasingly hold, an absolutely determining role in whether the project ideas can be tested, optimized and validated before prototypes are built.

EnginSoft is a company that has based its competitive advantage on virtual prototyping since the 1980es, and has always been diligent in the training and formation of its technical staff in order to provide companies with the best solutions and the most suitable software for their specific needs.

EnginSoft’s strength is the multidisciplinary approach that includes all areas of Computer Based Engineering, from the manufacturing process to the detailed 3D CFD simulation of power generation components such as turbines, compressors, heat exchangers, and more.

The challenges facing the Aerospace Industry

From a structural point of view, the aerospace industry requires integrity of each component at many different operating points, from take-off/landing to the upper atmosphere to outer space, where thermal gradients on satellites are extreme and greatly affect structural calculations. In this regard, explicit dynamics simulation has become standard practice when investigating the effect of bird strike on an engine, evaluate blade containment strategies for fan blade out, or investigate the reasons for structural failure on a specific component. As today’s civil aerospace industry accounts for about 2% of the worldwide CO2 production, a lot of research is taking place to develop lighter structures employing composite materials, in order to save weight, consume less fuel and therefore reduce the overall environmental impact.

For the same reasons, new solutions for civil engines have been developed, allowing them to become more efficient in terms of fuel consumption thanks to advanced CFD modeling techniques, applied to fuel injection and cooling systems, combustion chambers and augmentor design. Aerodynamics is also an important topic of research in order to develop high-lift, efficient wing profiles both for cruise and take-off/landing operating conditions. Aerodynamic noise is also relevant here: CFD codes coupled with an acoustic solver have created a new discipline called CAA (Computational Aero Acoustic) to predict aero-acoustic noise. Another coupling takes place when CFD joins FEM in Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI), often employed to calculate the flutter phenomenon, as well as the rotor-dynamics of helicopters.

Electronic components have a high impact on the cost of aircrafts and helicopters. Therefore the field of Electromagnetism is very important for the aerospace market, as many devices can cause interference problems (we all need to turn off our mobiles at take-off and landing after all) and antennas signal integrity must be assured for navigational purposes. Finite Element Analysis and CFD is often employed for analyzing the stress/strain field on electronic components, deriving from dynamic loads as well as thermal gradients.

As aerospace is a mature industry, many components generally have had a long development history and are quite reliable and performing. Yet, the development of new, innovative technologies, along with the strife for continuous improvement of existing parts, makes FEM or CFD or EM calculations alone not enough. The real challenge is to integrate all of these technologies in a design and optimization process such as PIDO (Process Integration and Design Optimization). This is where the CAE market is moving, and that is where partnering with EnginSoft can make a real difference for your company.

At EnginSoft, we have a vast experience in multi-disciplinary simulation consulting for the aerospace industry. Some notable research/projects we have been working on lately and our areas of expertise are here reported:

Space: EnginSoft has been a key participant in MELiSSA (Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative) and ALISSE (Alternative Life Support System Evaluator) research projects, to develop the technology required for a future biological life support system for long term manned space missions, sponsored by the European Space Agency ESA; has performed thermo-structural analysis for satellite electronics housing using ESAComp (a software for the design of composite structures, developed by Componeering, a company co-founded by Enginsoft); performed explicit dynamics simulations to optimize airbag deployment on the ExoMars rover

EnginSoft and the Consumer Goods Industry

CAE tools have nowadays become a common industry standard to rapidly give companies the strategic elements mentioned above, as well as to completely quantify the uncertainties/tolerances of the actual and simulated processes, in order to reduce waste and to conform to production quality standards (six sigma, among others).

New CAE software tools are continuosly being developed to progressively abandon the old “trial and error” method, which is slow and wasteful, in favor of an integrated, optimized process where all the design parameters are quantified and can interact with one another. Some notable examples of an integrated approach to CAE in the consumer goods industry are here reported:

in the field of household appliances, structural, thermal, fluid dynamics and acoustic analyses provide the possibility to improve performance, achieve packaging and product efficiency, and enable data-driven decision making during the design phase. The test phase, as a result, is only used on the actual prototype for a final inspection

in sporting equipment production, the use of CAE is fundamental in order to simulate the behaviour of the sporting apparatus under extreme conditions, to test new materials as well as alternative shapes/modifications aimed at improving product performance before prototype production

in the electronics field (pc, tablet, telephony), crash, thermal and electromagnetic analyses are performed using the finite element method (FEM), in order to improve the quality and duration of the produced items

in the food industry, integrating Computer Based Engineering into production flow, not only for production machinery design, but also for packaging, conservation and fine-tuning of the production process itself, can provide a lasting competitive advantage to the manufacturer

EnginSoft is a company that has based its competitive advantage on virtual prototyping since the 1980es, and has always been diligent in the training and formation of its technical staff in order to provide companies with the best solutions and the most suitable software for their specific needs.

EnginSoft’s strength is the multidisciplinary approach that includes all areas of Computer Based Engineering. In fact, its expertise covers all types of analyses for both product and process, including mechanical (structural inspection, exertion, crashes), thermal, thermal-structural, fluid dynamics, acoustics, electromagnetics.

A Finite Element Method approach applied to product development for ventilation hoods

Faber Spa, which has designed and manufactured ventilation hoods for the past 50 years, holds a key global position both in terms of production and technology. It has achieved this position through strategic investments in research and development.

Particleworks, an innovative particle method simulation tool, playing an important role in previously-unattainable simulation problems

In this technical article, EnginSoft and Prometech explain how they executed a highly complex computational simulation on the fluid-structure interaction of the oil flow inside a reciprocating engine, on behalf of Honda R&D.

Connecting rods connect the pistons to the crank shaft in automotive engines and are vital components of the engine. Connecting rods are traditionally produced in ferrous metals by forging or die casting.

An integrated CAD-CAE procedure

Engineers will normally need to evaluate a number of different designs, only one of which will result in the final construction configuration. This is why numerical simulation plays an indispensible role in roller coaster design.

The bridge designed by the world famed architect Santiago Calatrava

The bridge represents an example of a cable stayed mixed steel-concrete structure, where the stay cables are asymmetrically connected to the center of the deck and to the top of the central transverse steel arch.

Virtual testing of roll-over protection and of falling-object protection in the early design phase ensures safety performance

This technical case study describes how the ROPS and FOPS of a tractor were numerically studied in the early design phase to ensure compliance with OECD Standard Code 4 (for the cabin’s resistance to longitudinal, lateral and vertical energy or force) and Code 10 (for overhead protection from falling objects).

A new 3D CFD multi-phase model to simulate the water condensation-evaporation processes

EnginSoft implemented a new 3D CFD multi-phase model to simulate the water condensation-evaporation processes inside automotive headlamps for Automotive Lighting, a leading supplier of quality headlights to the OEM market

Optimising racing engine inlet ducts using fluid dynamics

Racing engines are continuously evolved and fine-tuned to allow them to achieve extraordinary levels of performance, albeit with great complexity. However, MotoGP regulations restrict engine development by constraining some of the main design parameters.

Using the DCR time-history procedure to determine the behaviour of the dam’s 10.2M m3 of roller compacted concrete

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is situated along the Blue Nile River. Located 500 km north west of the Ethiopian capital Addis Abeba, in the Benishangul-Gumaz region, the GERD will be the largest plant in Africa

A tool to reduce the level of post manufacturing defects, material wastage and overall production costs

An academic study of the hot ring rolling process at ASFO Spa, that it ended with the company using Transvalor Forge as a tool to reduce the level of post manufacturing defects, material wastage and overall production costs

This case study describes how the company’s R&D team used ANYSYS and Spaceclaim to conduct Finite Element Method analyses to refine the design of a new model of a sprayer boom used by farmers to distribute phytosanitary products over fields for crop protection.

An efficient, fully integrated and optimized logic that consisted in the coupling of different software analysis tools

The main structure of the yacht is made of composite laminates with the presence of many composite reinforcements and bonded joints. We conducted a detailed structural analysis of the entire structure and verified the structural requirements.

Using CAE to optimise the design of a prototype for a super sonic filming drone

This detailed technical case study describes how the students arrived at a supersonic aircraft drone prototype using MATLAB and modeFRONTIER in order to reduce the time and costs of numerical and wind-tunnel testing.

A FIA E-1 class racecar was being developed by Brigham Young University to set a world speed record for Electric Vehicles

The car is designed to race on the ultra-flat Salt Flats in Bonneville, Utah. The racecar weighs less than 500kg so increasing the downforce was critical. Reducing aerodynamic drag was also critical due to the power requirements of the racecar.

CAE is key to ensuring the efficiency and technical integrity of equipment and plants in the lime industry

In the lime industry, the process engineers of Cimprogretti advise on process safety, analyse and interpret laboratory and plant data and provide specialised support to ensure the technical integrity of equipment and plants.

Simulations improve the accuracy of factory equipment set-up and help identify potential custom modifications in advance

More and more companies rely upon simulation tools to help develop high-quality products and reduce costs. PepsiCo, Inc. is using these simulation technologies to analyze and improve products and processes, such as material handling challenges.

Minimize physical prototypes and reduce waste, while reducing the lead time and overall production costs

The object of this study was simulating and optimizing the cold forging process for a silent block bush steel sleeve. A silent block bush is traditionally used in the linkage system of a car suspension, in railway carriages and in agricultural machinery.

Improving efficiency while reducing cost is a very complex engineering challenge. Marelli Motori makes extensive use of CFD and FEM multiphysics simulation to do just that in the design of its electrical motors and generators.

Cimolai Technology designs and produces special machines and plants for lifting, handling, transport and launching operations

Cimolai Technology explains the business benefits it has achieved since the installation in terms of time savings in planning, and design, and improvements in product quality and in delivery forecast ability.

Faciliitates extraction of stresses and strains from entire structure and takes into account all friction forces, shape and misalignment dynamics and structural flexibility

A virtual prototype of a belt must necessarily include the high flexibility of the belt itself, as well as a detailed description of the contacts. This is another scenario where RecurDyn provides better functionality than its competitors.

Overcoming mechanical and electromagnetic challenges in refining a radome for electronic warfare

Elettronica SpA designs and produces systems for electronic warfare. Each system design is unique according to its platform and purpose. In this article, the company describes how it used CAE to approach the challenging design of a single sandwich radome.

Interview with engineer Luca Cavalli, from the advanced engineering team at Immergas

In this interview, engineer Luca Cavalli, of Immergas’ advanced engineering team, discusses the technical and business benefits the company has realised since first introducing Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) technologies into its R&D department in 1997.

RecurDyn offers two Toolkits that are completely dedicated to tracked vehicles

In this example, a tracked bulldozer was simulated to evaluate the dynamic behavior of the vehicle on different terrains and with different obstacles. The model can also be used to calculate the loads operating on the vehicle’s structure..

Applying CAE to facilitate business CapEx decision making in the automotive manufacturing sector

In this case study, EnginSoft engineers explain how they used modeFRONTIER to assist Comau, a Fiat Chrysler subsidiary, to optimize their approach to the preliminary design of production systems for automotive manufacturing system RFQs.

Interview with Diego Barone, R&D Project Leader at Vin Service

Vin Service, founded in 1976, is a world leader in dispenser technology and the first Italian manufacturer of draft-wine dispensers. Its core business is in the dispensing equipment industry and in cooling systems for beverages.

RecurDyn facilitates virtualization of dynamic systems governed by both contacts and large flexibility

RecurDyn software allows belt-type systems, including CVTs, to be both modelled and simulated accurately. The dedicated “Belt Toolkit”, which is an automated modeling assistant, includes all of the components found in a belt-type transmission.

The final portion of the paper path of a laser printer has been studied using the Media Transport Toolkit to evaluate the influence of the corrugating roller which is used to corrugate the sheet to keep it straight before falling into the tray.

Lovato Electrics chooses ANSYS MAXWELL to guarantee it brings superior products to market in less time

Lovato Electric is committed to delivering innovation through its products and so it commissioned EnginSoft to help it create a pilot project in order to compare and finally select an electromagnetic field simulation software solution.

Simulation studies help Whirlpool identify the most useful design modifications to support its product objectives

This article describes how EnginSoft applied a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, on behalf of Whirlpool EMEA, to simulate three different geometrical design modifications to the vacuum cleaner head to improve on a baseline performance that was modelled first.

Using CFD analysis to save time and money in designing and testing industrial burners for the oil and gas industry

In this technical case study, EnginSoft was called in to assist in the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to model the flame size of a regeneration gas-fired heater for a project in Oman.

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